ford focus 1.8 ghia petrol 54 plate - hard to get into gear

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Mon 3 Oct 2016 15:41
ford focus 1.8 ghia petrol 54 plate - hard to get into gear - bungie65

Hi,

Of late I have had trouble getting mycar into gear, can anyone suggest whats wrong, its particularly difficult in the mornings. Recently the gear box seal was leaking and mechanic said there was only about half a litre left- its now topped up. I was thinking the clutch might be going,but gears do not crunch so don't think its the clutch? they are just lumpy/bumpy to get into gear- bit of a struggle so to speak. Not so hard to change down in gears more up?

Could it be gearbox(how do i tell) ?

Thanks

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Mon 3 Oct 2016 16:40
ford focus 1.8 ghia petrol 54 plate - hard to get into gear - daveyjp

Could be clutch, could be gearbox, could be something as simple as worn/stretched gear linkage connector cables.

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Mon 3 Oct 2016 20:14
ford focus 1.8 ghia petrol 54 plate - hard to get into gear - bungie65

Thanks, I thought if it was the linkage that the gear stick would be floppy? (that is not the case)

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Mon 3 Oct 2016 22:08
ford focus 1.8 ghia petrol 54 plate - hard to get into gear - elekie&a/c doctor
Difficult gear selection is usually an indication of clutch problems.Is gear selection ok with engine not running?
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Tue 4 Oct 2016 03:33
ford focus 1.8 ghia petrol 54 plate - hard to get into gear - liammcl

I had similar on a 106 1.1 peugeot,
the seal leaked, so I topped up with some gearbox oil I had to hand.
(75w-90)

When cold, about 5C it would not go into 2nd... I had to really push it.

I drained the old, and put new gearbox oil in, (75w-80)
and the problem went away, straight away.

(A few people with 106s have had the exact same problem,
it shouldn't make any difference betwenn the 75w-80 and the 75w-90, but it does on some , mine included)

Cheers
Liam

Edited by liammcl on 04/10/2016 at 03:45

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Tue 4 Oct 2016 16:32
ford focus 1.8 ghia petrol 54 plate - hard to get into gear - galileo

Liam, you would be an asset to many of today's "throw a part at it at random" garages, you show logic and common sense, both of which are these days rare.

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Wed 5 Oct 2016 03:38
ford focus 1.8 ghia petrol 54 plate - hard to get into gear - liammcl

Thanks Galileo :)

Case in point,
My neighbour has been ripped off by garages recently.

It started with a loud squeaky noise from under the car...

She was told it was the battery...
A new battery £50

then it was the alternator,
as the voltage didn't go over 13.3v
A new alternator £100

After changing those... there was no change to anything..
so she was advised to scrap the car and save up for a new one !

In desperation she asked if I would have a look...

so together, we trouble shooted..
The belt was kinda loose... it could be turned 150 degrees
There were no wobbles on the pulleys, or tensioners

Listening to where the squeak was coming from
and focusing in , on that area....
we could feel a mix-match of heat on the alternator pulley (hot) and the alternator case (cold)
(the alternator pulley was turning, but only about 1/5th speed, not enough to get the 14v oomph needed to charge the battery
...but was generating heat as it slipped.)

She worked it out herself,
step by step...
it was a loose belt and it was slipping..

5 mins waving spanners, and all is good with the world.

It is good to tinker..
and now, she knows where the alternator is,
what it does,
what voltage it should be pumping out (a user friendly plugin into the cig lighter showed the voltage)
(one of these - alturl.com/e2bff )
and how to find where the noise is coming from ...


The clues are out there :)
just need to go back to basics...take your time, google a bit, have a cuppa.
... kinda fun , too

Cheers
Liam

Edited by liammcl on 05/10/2016 at 03:43

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Mon 10 Oct 2016 20:50
ford focus 1.8 ghia petrol 54 plate - hard to get into gear - bungie65

Liam

If you read my original message- gearbox oil already changed

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Mon 10 Oct 2016 23:51
ford focus 1.8 ghia petrol 54 plate - hard to get into gear - liammcl

yup,
on mine the 75w-90 oil change causes the gear shift problems,
(on mine and some 106s)
changing to 75w-80 fixes it.

ps see last post here..
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/?t=9358

Just a guestimate..
Good Luck
Liam
YouTube mechanic, class of 2016 :)

Edited by liammcl on 11/10/2016 at 00:05

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